Animals

Keeping giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) was never an easy task. These magnificent beings were always unique additions to any collection. But even now, zoos think twice whether to keep an anteater, for there are many special needs that have to be fulfilled. The biggest amongst them is their diet.In the past, feeding anteaters was only about giving them insectivore food, because they eat termites and ants in the wild. That is true, but later discoveries have shown that they often eat fallen fruits from the ground and take soil with the insects. With that in mind, some changes had to be made, because captive animals only lived for a short period of time (2 to 5 years).

The question is simple, the implementation is not so much. Let's see why! Begin with taking two armadillos… like in a recipe; and this is also true, however it is not sufficient to obtain a couple of armadillos, since many factors can affect the reproduction of a species.

Imagine that you are given the opportunity to create your own zoo. Yes, I know it is a sweet dream – have you played lottery this week? Nevertheless, let’s accept this idea now and continue daydreaming! So, what species would you choose to start the zoo business: rarities or the most common animals? I suppose you are also fond of zoology and you would keep special animals, but you should consider the needs of the public and the expenses of operating the zoo as well (…maybe it was not the record prize in the lottery). Most zoos also take it into consideration and finally decide to choose proven species. As a result a lot of species are very common in zoos; it seems as if visitors and zoo managers couldn’t imagine a zoo without these animals. What are these species? Check the list below!

According to fresh news, the outlook for black rhinoceroses (Diceros bicornis) has improved – unfortunately only in zoos. Although Berlin Zoological Garden (Germany) has a tradition of breeding this species and it has one of the largest breeding groups in the world, the almost concurrent birth of two calves in one zoo was still a big surprise. Can we hope for this to help achieve the goal of the European breeding programme (EEP) of this species? Let’s have a look at the background of breeding these animals in zoos.

Currently there are 34 species of mongooses described in the family Herpestidae, although further taxonomic research may change this number in the future. Twenty-five members of the taxon live in Africa and nine in Asia. According to the current subdivision of Herpestidae ― using not only morphology, but also behavioural ecology and molecular markers ― two subfamilies are supported within the taxon. The subfamily Herpestinae involves 23, mostly large and solitary mongoose species (genus Atilax, Bdeogale, Cynictis, Galerella, Herpestes, Ichneumia, Paracynictis, Rhynchogale, Xenogale), while the subfamily Mungotinae comprises 11, mainly small and social species (genus Crossarchus, Dologale, Helogale, Liberiictis, Mungos, Suricata). Nevertheless, we have to admit that generally not much is known about the social behaviour of many of the species, especially the Asian mongooses.

It was born just a few weeks ago, has no name yet, and its gender could not have been determined so far, but already has millions of fans and hundreds of thousands of people follow its fate. It is the pride of Ohio and the world, currently known as Mondika.